A 10-year-old boy fell to his death down a 49ft deep well when the cover he was standing on gave way.
Vincenzo Lantieri was on a day out with his brother yesterday (27 Jun) when the horror unfolded.
He climbed onto the artesian well and began jumping on its cover, according to preliminary reports.
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As he jumped, the cover’s latch opened and he plummeted.
The well is 49ft deep but partly full of fetid water, as reported on Need To Know.
The day out was part of a summer camp for children with and without special needs conceived to foster integration.
One staff member tried to go down the well in a bid to save Lantieri, but she slipped, fell, and couldn’t climb back up.
Firefighters were called to the scene and pulled the 54-year-old woman from the well.
She was taken to a hospital in nearby Siracusa, with bruises and shock symptoms and was discharged later that day.
Firefighter, Ugo Macchiarella told local media: “Unfortunately, there was nothing we could do for the child.
“We tried everything, but when we recovered him, he was already deceased.”
An autopsy will reveal if he died from trauma sustained in the fall or if he drowned.
Prosecutors in Siracusa have opened an investigation into the tragedy.
Manslaughter charges may be filed if they decide that the well was not adequately signposted.
There are currently no suspects.
Lantieri is survived by his parents and leaves behind two brothers, aged 18 and four.
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